Banyana Banyana to play Netherlands in international friendly

Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana will begin the 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) preparations with an international friendly match against the Netherlands Senior Women’s National team, Oranje Leeuwinnen (Orange Lionesses) on Tuesday, 13 April 2022 in the city of Den Haag (The Hague). The Dutch were the 2019 FIFA World Cup runners-up in France and are currently ranked 5^th in the world.

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis said the international friendly match was an ideal test for her players ahead of the upcoming AWCON tournament in Morocco in July.

“This is part of our preparations for the AWCON, but also to test players against a higher-level opponent to assess if the players have the necessary mental strength to stay focused despite not having played any league matches this year” said Ellis.

Banyana Banyana were scheduled to play the Dutch in July 2021 in a friendly match that was subsequently called off due to an outbreak of COVID-19 cases in the team prior to departure.

The team will report for camp on 5 April and depart for Europe on 8 April 2022.

Ellis has called up a strong squad of 22 players for this international friendly, including Hollywoodbets Super League Young Player of the Season, Nthabiseng Majiya.

Jermaine Seoposenwe has also been recalled to the squad after missing national duty in 2021 due to visa challenges in Portugal. She last kitted for the team in November 2021 against Japan.

Banyana Banyana will be looking to give a stellar performance in the 12^th Edition of the AWCON hoping for gold after narrowly missing out in 2018.

A good showing will also give them a second consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup ticket. The 2023 Women’s World Cup will jointly be hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Nozipho Mbatha, Senior Manager: Group Brand & Sponsorships at Sasol, wished the team well with the preparation for their encounter with the “Orange Lionesses”. She congratulated SAFA and the Sasol Banyana Banyana technical team for securing this international friendly, which she believes will contribute immensely to the team’s training programme as they get ready for the AWCON that lies ahead of them.

“Sasol is fully behind you. You have given us stellar results since the beginning of your AWCON campaign, and we believe that you will continue to move on the same #Limitless trajectory.”